D8 Finals: Look For Eagles to Soar to D8 Double

Turning back the clock to the late 90s/early 2000s when yours truly was still in high school, you can't help but remember the tough times that the St. Mary's basketball program had while at their former location in downtown Kitchener.

The Eagles weren't a doormat by any means, but they weren't a powerhouse either.  They were that team that would finish in the middle of the standings while other teams (most notably the St. Benedict Saints and Resurrection Phoenix) were racking up the junior and senior D8 titles.

Fast forward to present day, and the Eagles' nest is now the newest D8 high school in southwest Kitchener.  Their encatchment area has changed, and they've quietly (over the past 5 years) established themselves as arguably the most successful junior and senior program in Kitchener-Waterloo --- with their juniors owning CWOSSA gold (2008) and silver (2011) medals.

The players on those squads have moved on to senior, and for some of them, it may be their last chance to take home the ultimate prize.  Standing in the seniors' way?  Oh, just the two-time defending champions and their arch-rivals, Resurrection Phoenix.

Let's break down the junior and senior matchups, starting first with a quick look at previous years:

Past D8 Champions

2011:  St. Mary's (JR), Resurrection (SR)

2010:  Resurrection (JR), Resurrection (SR)

2009:  Resurrection (JR), St. David (SR)

2008:  St. David (JR), Resurrection (SR)

2007:  St. Mary's (JR), St. Mary's (SR)

Junior

(1) St. Mary's vs. (2) St. David

Regular Season:  SMHS 2-0 (66-41, 57-43)

Key Players

SMHS:  Mike Blumel (F), Jermaine Lyle (G), Nathan Riley (G), Bronson Bothelo (F)

SDCSS:  Dashaun Lalor (G), James McBride (G), George Dumitru (G), Kwame Adam (F)

The Skinny

St. Mary's, my current #1 CWOSSA junior team, was dominant during D8 play this season, outscoring their opposition by an average of nearly 40 points per contest.  The defending D8 champs (and CWOSSA silver-medalists) will be seeking to add to their hardware collection tonight against the youthful St. David Celtics.

St. David has an excellent crop of grade nine talent (Lalor, McBride, Dumitru) that have propelled them back to contender status in the D8 junior league after a couple of lean seasons.  Lalor in particular is a great talent to watch; in the semifinals against Rez he took the game over with the Celts down 1 in the fourth and made several acrobatic and difficult shots in a row to cue an 8-0 run and help secure the win for SDCSS.  McBride, meanwhile, is a great shooter and you can't give him too much room if you're the Eagles.

While the strength of the Celts lies in their backcourt, you could argue the reverse is true for St. Mary's with big-men Mike Blumel (who threw down a couple of dunks in a game last week) and Bronson Bothelo patrolling the paint.  Their backcourt, keyed by Lyle, is no slouch either, which accounts for why they've had so much success this season.

The Pick

I think this one "could" be a bit closer than their previous meetings, especially because SDCSS' grade 9 talent has continued to develop and mature throughout the season.  That said, the Eagles are going to be tough to beat and it will take a near-perfect St. David effort to do it.  St. Mary's 61, St. David 48 is the pick.

Senior

(1) St. Mary's vs. (2) Resurrection

Regular Season:  SMHS 2-0 (51-48, 53-47)

Projected Starters

RCSS:  John Moi (5'9" G/5th Year); Adam Schneider (5'10" G/Grade 11); Tyler Schneider (6'1" G/5th Year); Cory Kenning (6'7" F/Grade 12); Mike Pereira (6'4" F/5th Year)

SMHS:  Alex Thompson (6'1" G/5th Year); Isaac Lance (5'11" G/5th Year); Adam Voll (6'6" F/Grade 12); Zak Hannah (6'2" F/5th Year); Henry Bankazo (6'1" G/Grade 12).

The Skinny

Another year, another D8 final between Resurrection and St. Mary's.  This will mark the 4th time in the last 5 years that we've seen this matchup, while the 5th year students playing in this game will have endured a Rez-SMHS playoff matchup during each of their five seasons of high school basketball:

2008 (JR) - SMHS (#3) over RCSS (#2) in D8 Semi

2009 (JR) - RCSS (#1) over SMHS (#2) in D8 Final

2010 (SR) - RCSS (#2) over SMHS (#1) in D8 Final

2011 (SR) - RCSS (#1) over SMHS (#2) in D8 Final 

You think there's a rivalry here?  In my view, it's the best one going in CWOSSA basketball right now.  Who can forget last year's D8 final where the Phoenix scored in the waning seconds to force OT and came away with a 68-64 win.

Now, on to this game.  I've made the adjustment in the starting lineups up above, but it looks as though Rez will be a bit shorthanded for this one, with athletic 6'4" starting wingman Cam Gibbs being doubtful with an ankle injury.  Gibbs missed Wednesday's game against SBCSS, while reserve guard Jamie Keil also missed Wednesday's game due to illness.

St. Mary's will obviously be looking to continue what they did against Rez in the regular season meetings.  In both affairs, Adam Voll and Alex Thompson combined for 36 points (or about 2/3 of SMHS' scoring).  Of course, stopping those two fantastic scorers is a lot easier said than done.

The Eagles will also want to get out in transition on the big court at UW, and use their athleticism edge to their advantage.  PG Isaac Lance is one of the premier distributors in CWOSSA, so I expect him to have a field day today getting the ball up the floor (and rack up a few dimes in the process).

Rez, meanwhile, will be looking for their posts (Kenning & Pereira) to do some big things inside.  Though Pereira hit for 20+ last time out, Kenning was held relatively in check.  He'll need to step up in this one if Rez is to come away with the win.

The other key for Rez is the play of PG John Moi.  Personally, I love watching him as he's one of the most energetic players in CWOSSA.  However, his aggressiveness sometimes can result in foul trouble, and extended sits on the RCSS bench.  His absence during a large portion of the second half, I thought, was instrumental in Rez's loss to WCI during the St. Benedict CSS tournament --- at any rate, definitely something to keep an eye on here, as Rez feeds off of his energy so they need him out on the floor.

Lastly, you have to wonder which bench will see the most production.  St. Mary's grade 10 G/F Telloy Simon has made some timely shots against Rez during their league games, and he would be a prime candidate to have a breakout performance here.  Rez 6'4" F Stephen Cordle, a York U football commit, will be called upon for an increased role in the frontcourt, especially if Gibbs is out as expected with his ankle.

The Pick

With Rez battling some injuries and illness, and the Eagles peaking at the right time, this looks to be the year that the senior Eagles get over the hump and make their way to CWOSSA.  That's not to say that it won't be interesting along the way tonight, but I'll go with the favoured Eagles:  St. Mary's 57, Resurrection 49.

As a sidenote, if the Eagles are victorious (as I'm picking) in both the junior and senior contests, they would enter CWOSSA as one of the top two clubs in both divisions. 

The last school to capture both junior and senior CWOSSA "AAAA" championships in one year was the KCI Raiders back in 2004.......and we saw what kind of dynasty they were able to turn that into over the following couple of years.  Just some further food for thought.